AkzoNobel and BYK-Gardner digitize surface texture for powder coatings
Customers have benefited from color digitization of AkzoNobel during decades. Now the company is entering new territory with the help of pioneering technology developed by BYK-Gardner , which can digitally measure and control the textured surfaces of powder coatings.
Launched on April 10, the spectro2profiler represents a major step forward for the industry because currently, the only way to check the quality of a textured powder coating surface is to carry out a visual inspection. So the new tool—which can measure color and gloss, as well as analyze the 3D topography of surface texture—is seeing great success.
The only way to check the quality of a textured powder coating surface is to perform a visual inspection.
“We are excited to have achieved an innovation milestone,” explains Pim Koeckhoven, Director of Color Technology at AkzoNobel. “Being able to objectively evaluate the structural quality of a powder coating, in a consistent, precise and standardized way, using a dedicated digital tool will be a big step forward.”
“Texture is an extremely important characteristic of powder coatings and the trend towards textured surfaces is becoming stronger, especially in the architectural segment, where both coarse and fine textures are used. As a global leader in the supply of powder coatings, having this tool available will be a great advantage for both us and our customers,” adds Jean-Paul Moonen, director of the architecture segment of AkzoNobel's powder coatings business.
The trend towards textured surfaces is becoming stronger.
Having previously collaborated on a digital device for AkzoNobel's Vehicle Refinement business – which is now the automotive industry's color measurement tool – the two companies began working on the new spectro2profiler. The goal was to take what they had already learned for leather-like surfaces and use it to explore the possibilities of digitizing the surface texture of powder coatings.
“We started researching prototypes two years ago,” Koeckhoven continues. "Combining our expertise with BYK-Gardner has allowed us to obtain objective quality control based on very precise measurements that cannot be achieved with the naked eye. We are currently testing and optimizing this in our manufacturing facilities. It is hugely exciting and we look forward to “That in the near future, this digitalization method will also be able to support our formulation activities.”
AkzoNobel supplies powder coatings to customers around the world, covering market segments ranging from household appliances, architecture and automotive, to furniture, computing and general industrial applications.